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I'm super excited to find you all. I love antiques in general but have no real idea of what I'm doing when it comes to restoration. I wasn't an oldsmobile fan but went and looked at a 69 delta 88 2 door hardtop yesterday. I had in my idiot brain that she'd be similar to a 442 and almost didn't go for it. The more times I walked around her though, the more I decided I had to have her. We bring her home tomorrow and she's gonna need a lot of work. Again, I'm super excited to have found you all!
Google images of the year and model of your new car and you'll see examples of what yours could look like. Any thoughts yet as far as color, wheels and tires?
I've been looking at the images and keep getting more excited about what she can look like if I don't screw her up. No thoughts yet on colors or wheels really but I'm sure they'll get started after we get her home.
First order of business is jack the car up and check the whole frame with a sharp awl (captain obvious says that's a pointed screw driver looking tool). If the frame and undercarriage seems fine then start planning . Rust repair and paint are the biggest expenses depending on your plans for the car. I'm 57 and found a small rust area under my back seat. First I bought a new under seat panel but now I realize the car does not have to have more than that 10x10 area replaced. The car doesn't have to last fifty years since I won't. Do what you have to without breaking the bank and enjoy the hell out of the car. Keep us informed on your progress and remember the sooner it's finished you start letting it make your life better. Some folks are happy with a rusty car they can drive that people still give thumbs up when they see it. P.S. You had me at 455 😎. Love me some 455.
Looks like they shaved the passenger side door handle but not the driver side. Ask them if they are including the remote door opening electronics in the sale.
Yeah they did. I'm really not sure that I'm a fan of the way it looks and am hoping it can be fixed. There's a ton of parts that come with but I didn't ask about the door stuff specifically. I will have to ask when we pick her up later today. Thank you so much for all the great tips
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
69 Delta Royale was one of my favorite B body coupes. This one (sorry) looks like it's been rode hard and put away wet.
As already mentioned, the frame needs to be checked, then also look at the floor pans/trunk sheet metal. That may be a sign of what to expect under the bondo already on the car and cracking. Waaay too thick makes me wonder what it's hiding.
I hope the car meets your expectations and you are happy with restoring it. There aren't a lot of aftermarket parts for B Body cars, just so you're aware.
Are you driving it home or trailering it? I'd be cautious in case the brakes aren't up to par.
Bringing her home on a trailer. I'm hopeful that the passenger side mirror area is the only thick bondo area. It felt different there running my hands over the car. I don't know if it was all in my head or bondo really would have a different feel. I haven't had time to do much research through the threads here but, as long as it's not a dumb idea, I think she's going down to bare metal to see what's under everything.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
I can guarantee there's more bondo. Look at pictures 5-7 you posted. Those sheet metal joint areas are completely hidden with bondo and it's cracking. Have you looked under the car at all, or opened the trunk to look inside? You'll also need to rebuild those door hinges as they're sagging a lot. Those 2 door coupes had very heavy doors.
When these cars were new, they were very elegant rides. Here are some pics from GM literature (some I highlighted the likely bondo areas in red) pinchweld areas filled in. Likely also had vinyl roof at one time and missing the trim. Royale badging and trim missing Very elegant interior and steering wheel
We did look under the car as much as we could. We weren't able to look in the trunk even though I really wanted to because someone put that electronic stupidness back there and it wasn't working. I am apprehensive about that. Hubby recognized those areas of bondo, I'm just eternally optimistic and hoping they're not as thick as the passenger door. The trim is supposedly in the trunk but again, I didn't see it for myself so I don't know what kind of shape it's in. I noticed the doors sagging. I know she's going to be a lot of learning and hard work. I paid 1500, was that too much?
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
As long as you have trailer brakes, and remember you're a much larger vehicle with a trailer (plus don't try to make any sudden moves like in passing) you should be ok. Make him do the backing just because it's a royal PITA unless you know the trick to it. If you have one of the new Ford trucks with backup feature it's a breeze.
Yeah they did. I'm really not sure that I'm a fan of the way it looks and am hoping it can be fixed. There's a ton of parts that come with but I didn't ask about the door stuff specifically. I will have to ask when we pick her up later today. Thank you so much for all the great tips
I have a 69 delta 88 4 door that came with my 442. I am using some of it for my 442 and my 33 chevy rat project. Mostlymechanical stuff is what I am keeping. The folks here can tell you if my 4 door stuff is interchangeable, but if so I would be willing to trade my door stuff or other parts you need for the electronics in the shaved doors. They would work great in my 33 rat.
bob
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, in the Great White North
Posts: 359
Welcome to the group, I just joined it last week as well.
Those were very nice cars back in the day; - you've got a lot of work ahead of you and I'm afraid it's going to look worse before it gets better. If you've never done a car restoration before, here's some advice; Anticipate a few setbacks along the way, triple your time frame to completion and double your initial budget. With a car like that you're in for the long haul.On the plus side you're going to learn a lot about how American automobiles were manufactured and maintained. Once completed, it'll be a lot of fun to drive. I use my old cars all the time, in fact next week I'm driving one 600 miles to the coast.
You'll find there's a lot of good resources here on this site and the people here are all willing to offer advice and knowledge..
Nice project car as many members have told you take your time and don't get discouraged the fun is in the journey.Their is hardly no aftermarket support for these cars but some Chevy Impala parts will fit because it's a B body platform car but not many.Good luck and this how they look when done.
This may sound strange to you at this early stage of your restoration but if mine I would start looking for a parts car or someone who has a parts car that you can rob parts off of. Just from what I can see from the pictures i think you will have rust issues hiding in places that you haven't seen yet.
Not my era car but often trunks can be unlatched by going through the back seat using a bunch of extensions and undoing the latch mechanism from inside, others would know if this holds true on your model car.Don't try and pry on the trunk latch area or you will be looking for a different trunk from the parts car you don't have yet. Good luck and hopefully it isn't as bad as I think it maybe.... Lost in the fifties ...Tedd
Welcome Barbara. Maybe I am going to be the devils advocate here. You really need to evaluate this car very closely before you start pouring money into it. There is no question this car needs lots of work. LOT'S of work. Some very good suggestions have been made as to what to look for (rust being the most important). You need to get the car running and see what shape the engine and transmission are in. If they are shot I think you have a parts car. When restoring and old car, you are way better off starting with as decent of a car as possible. If you have to have all the work done on this car you are looking at probably at least $25,000 - $30,000 to get it done and that will not be a show car. I am not trying to rain on your parade but to keep you from pouring money into a bucket that has no bottom. These can be very nice cars. I have attached a picture of one that has been at a couple of our NTOC Zone Shows. Good luck and I hope this car works out for you.
Wow! That's a ton of money! I'm not after a show car, just something to learn the restoration process and have fun with. I think the only work we would have someone else do is the paint. I don't know how much that might save but my other half was a diesel mechanic for probably a decade out of high school and still does at least a bit of regular wrenching for friends and family. We have a few friends with hands on experience with body work and some welders and fabricators in our list too. I will keep an eye out for a parts car. I was picking at the cracked areas of bondo last night. Other than the doors, so far they're only as thick or thinner than the peeling paint that I picked at too. On a side note, I was given a 62 or 63 ford falcon that has been parked inside a garage longer than the 37 years I've been alive and was running when it was parked. That one has huge amounts of sentimental value to me as it's belonged to my great uncle who, in my heart, was more like a grandpa to me. That's the car that I plan to turn into a show car. I'm just not sure when my great aunt and I will be ready to look at the garage without the car sitting in there...
It sounds like your husband can handle the wrenching chores and you can get help with the body work. That is huge. Upholstery and paint are the two things that most people have done. I really hope there are few surprises (there are always some) with your car. Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.
Will do. I'm hoping to learn at least a little bit of the wrenching you all's cars are gorgeous! Oh, I missed responding to a trade offer. I'm game for it but I still have no idea how many of the parts we have. Supposedly the trunk has a bunch of the parts and trim but we haven't gotten in there yet. I just remembered! He's got this little scope type camera for looking down inside of stuff that I bought him! I might try sneaking that around some for looking at rust from the underside of the trunk and maybe I can squeak it between the seat in the back and see inside...
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Barbara,
Restoration is relative. It's totally dependent on how far you want to go and how much you want to spend. I think some of the guys have already alluded to the concept that time and $$$ need to be really seriously evaluated. At the end of the day, restorations are basically a money pit that you'll never crawl out of. What most people don't get is that the amount of $$ you spend on a project is NOT what it's worth on the resale market. eg: I have paid out more for bodywork on my car than I should have, and with the restoration parts I've accumulated and installed the car is still not worth that expenditure. The A body cars will command a higher demand and premium and B body (your car) and that's just the nature of the hobby/market. It doesn't mean that B body cars don't have their place, they obviously do. I love the B body cars myself but due to the extremely limited resource market for parts I wouldn't slide on that slope myself. You have taken on a major challenge and I certainly wish you and your husband the best with working on it and enjoying it.
BTW, nothing says 'love the upholstery' like duct tape
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
You can access the trunk release by taking out the rear seat and upright. There might be room to reach back and open it using a long handled pry or screwdriver.
Barbara, this is an extreme case of what some people spend and what they sell for. One of my neighbors just bought a highly modified 1947 Chevy panel truck. This thing is really nice with a 650 horse big block Chevy engine in it. He bought it for $45,000. The cost to build it was $125,000 and that included a $30,000 point job. As I mentioned this is an extreme case and I will never understand how these guys do this. Just be sure you really like the car and that it is what you want before you pour lots of money into it. I like these cars and the good thing is you won't meet yourself coming down the street or at a car show.
Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, in the Great White North
Posts: 359
Take out the back seat, and then string together 4 feet of extensions onto a ratchet. (if you have them) You can then undo the bolts holding the striker. The trunk will open then. It takes a bit of time and careful coordination to do this. I did it when I locked the keys in the trunk of a 67 Buick LeSabre sedan, so it'll be possible in your car. Be patient and have someone there with a flashlight. Hopefully the trunk isn't chock full of junk and you can see the lower striker plate. Should be 2 1/2 inch bolts, one on either side.,
At this point that doesn't look too bad. Most of us have seen a lot worse. Take a shop vac and clean it out and then you can really tell what shape it is in. Anther thing you can do with the frame is take a ball peen hammer and go along the frame tapping on it. You will be able to tell if there are areas of rust.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Vacuum out the surface crud - use a wire brush to bust any of it loose. Then start with a screwdriver in the areas you suspect are really weak. It looks not bad on the passenger side, but the drivers side is a meh??? Hopefully it's all solid. Any luck getting into the turnk?
How about the back seat areas. Have you pulled the carpet there too?
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Hahaha,, Glenn you and I were thinking the same and posting at the same time.
Barbara - you can set up a thread for the project any time you want. We'll just follow you over there
July 28th, 2018, 05:32 PM
The engine turns over easy though.
you all's cars are gorgeous! Oh, I missed responding to a trade offer. I'm game for it but I still have no idea how many of the parts we have. Supposedly the trunk has a bunch of the parts and trim but we haven't gotten in there yet. I just remembered! He's got this little scope type camera for looking down inside of stuff that I bought him! I might try sneaking that around some for looking at rust from the underside of the trunk and maybe I can squeak it between the seat in the back and see inside...
